The Worshipful Company of Farriers is one of the Livery Companies of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. The

Farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adj ...

s, or horseshoe makers, organised in 1356. It received a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

of incorporation in 1674. Over the years, the Company has evolved from a trade association for horseshoe makers into an organisation for those devoted to

equine Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, which have lived worldwide (except Indonesia and Australia) from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. They are thought to be a monophyletic grouping.B. J. Ma ...

welfare, including veterinary surgeons. It also supports general charities, as do other Livery Companies. The Farriers' Company ranks fifty-fifth in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

for Livery Companies. Its motto is ''Vi et Virtute'', Latin for ''By Strength and by Virtue''. Today, the Company is one of the few Livery Companies still to play a formal role in its ancient trade. Section 1 of the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 enshrined the Farriers' Company with continuing duties outside the traditional City of London jurisdiction that normally applies to livery companies. It provided,

"The Worshipful Company of Farriers (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) shall have the general function of securing adequate standards of competence and conduct among persons engaged in the shoeing of horses (hereinafter referred to as “farriers”) and shall promote, encourage and advance the art and science of farriery and education in connection with the said art and science".

Past Masters

The Master of the Company serves for one year. The annual installation of a new Master for the Worshipful Company of Farriers takes place in September.

References

External links

The Farriers' Company
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Farriers A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjus ...

Horseshoes